This weekend as I was brainstorming about what my theme would be this week and flipping channels, I came across the Mountain Dew Tour on NBC sports. I've always been a fan of these gravity defying athletes but unfortunately for myself my body is built like a gravity magnet. Even as a child I was constantly at battle with sidewalks and I don't think a week went by without a scab or two. I was so bruised up at points that my folks have said the family doctor at the time reported them to DCFS.
In grade school I had a skateboard that was plastic and was similar to this one here. Mine was new in the late 70s and I remember a slight incline (1-2 ft maybe) that I would glide down with occasional skips that would launch the board out in an opposite direction. About 7 or 8 years ago I picked up a longboard, thinking that a board designed for a slow even street surf experience would be doable for me. Nope, gravity is still a bit too strong.
Now if I were able to collect it would be for the art work so this week I'll be paying tribute to skateboarding and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. Who even though he dealt in hot rods I think his style translates pretty well to the world of skating and the fact that his art is one of my influences doesn't exactly hurt. Don Martin's feet and the Muppets (especially the show) ooze out a bit from my subconscious too.
My one true faceplant experience actually happened when I was working at an ice rink. Working late a friend of mine and I were putting an early coat of water down before we started with the colors. A nice thin sheet of ice plus a bit of water makes for an incredibly slick surface and you can really slide a long way just in gym shoes. Well, my friend took a running start and he slid out from the Zamboni doors out almost to the goal box. I figured I could beat that easy, one thing being heavy has going for it is momentum, so I took a running start and really started flying across the ice. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL... then I decided to stop, with my FACE. So, now my eyebrow is gashed open, I'm bleeding out on the ice, and I have a head ache. The face plant surprised me so much that I was actually laughing. Deep down though, I felt awful enough that there was no way I'd be able to drive myself home. So, I decided to call my dad to see if he could pick me up. At the time the rink still had rotary dial phones. For the youngsters this meant I had to put my finger into a little hole with the number in it and rotate it around to a stopping point and let the dial reset. Until the point of making the phone call and having to dial home I thought that double vision and stars were something that only happened to the Coyote when an Anvil dropped on his head. I had to actually pick the number in the middle to make the call and it seemed to take forever. Thankfully, it wasn't too serious, though I probably should have gone to the doctor and it also might be one of the reasons I draw things the way I do. But, that could be due to football or rugby, maybe.
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